Introduction To Mobile Gaming Subscriptions 

We all want to do fun stuff on our mobiles, right? Play anywhere, any time. So the rise in subscription gaming options is of course making its impact on mobile devices too.

Both Apple (with Apple Arcade) and Google (Play Pass) are the biggest names on the list of subscription services currently, but Vodafone offer their Hatch service to their mobile phone network Customers, while Gameclub, Appland, and the soon to arrive Unleashd offer viable alternatives for fans of ‘on the go’ gaming. The Africa-focused Jumia Games will be of interest to players in that region.

That’s a good list to start with, but we should note that acceptance of the subscription model by mobile game developers has been slow. The reason? Money, of course. The creators of mobile games earn a significant amount of revenue from in game advertising and purchases. The switch to getting that income from a subscription may be some way off for many.

Given that, we might be questioning why any of the firms involved would be releasing subscription-based solutions. There are some good reasons for that.

 

Why Do Mobile Game Subscriptions Exist?

The bottom line is they exist for us, right? The market is big – a report issued by Tappable based on a poll of both male and female gamer’s found that  smartphones are now the preferred method for gaming of 42% of us. That contrasts with 32% preferring consoles and 26% a PC. 

The income that does arrive from a subscription model is of course predictable and steady. It can drive Customer loyalty levels higher, as we’ve seen with the rise in other types of subscription gaming services. The players like it too – with no ads, high quality game-play, and no expensive hardware to buy.

Of course, for any mobile subscription gaming offer to take advantage of those, they’ll need to be keeping quality on the high side. Not least because their competitors will be too, but also due to the dozens of alternative subscriptions available for console gaming, PC, or pure Cloud-based services. We have a wide choice, don’t we!

Another aspect is in the longevity of games. For a subscription to work – unless there is a steady stream of great new titles – a game will need to have a path forwards for players. That would entail ongoing development – maybe new levels, characters etc. There will be nothing worse than games where you just need to log in to collect some in-game currency, for example, while paying a subscription and not getting much else. Clearly they won’t survive.

For Google and Apple of course none of this is a problem. They’re big enough to take a loss if they have to, but with an end game in sight. Some of the smaller operations may be squeezed out at some point.

 

What About The Developers?

All of which brings us to the mobile game developers, who face very similar pros and cons but with added financial constraints. For their games to go on a subscription platform, they’ll probably be paying in some way (certainly that’s the case for mobile games in the Google or Apple stores). There may be some ways round this, maybe by making a taster version of a game available on the big platforms, then sending captured gamer’s elsewhere to subscribe. 

It’s also possible for a publisher to maintain a free version of a game on a subscription platform, and also maintain some form of advertising, though clearly there would need to be some caution applied and it’s likely that a balance will need to be found.

VIP/Premium Subscriptions

There is another aspect to mobile games for which you might consider the subscription model to be applicable, and that’s those that offer a VIP or Premium feature or an option to sign up for some form of boost.

These types of games are normally playable for free, but have this additional option of going VIP/Premium or getting extra capability with the boost. You’ll pay a monthly fee, but this gives you extra options or capabilities in the game.

Some examples of this type of mobile subscription are Pocket MapleStory, WarFriends, and the hugely popular anime related games from Netmarble, while a few better known are World Of Tanks (where you can subscribe for a premium account from 1 day up to 360 days), TMNT Legends ( with an in-app subscription at $9.99 a month which gives special rewards and boosts), and the puzzle-based Best Friends (offering a monthly VIP subscription giving players Infinite Energy, Ad-Free Play as well as Exclusive Discounts). 

More Benefits For Players

It’s likely that a fair number of games you’ll come across in a subscription package will also be found on  Google Play. If you’re playing them there, you could be racking up some significant costs from in-app purchases. So a subscription could well negate some of the in-app purchases you may have made. 

Some services will also offer some form of exclusivity – maybe access to a selection of games that are exclusively available only in that service. So you could be getting access to unique and exclusive game content.

Future Developments

While it’s possible that the subscription model in general for mobile games will see continuing acceptance among mobile gamer’s, there are one or two specific aspects which may pay to watch out for.

The first is in paying a subscription for collections of games. An example here could be in virtual reality subscriptions. After buying some fairly expensive VR hardware, a player may be looking for specific types of VR gaming experiences – for example flying games or battle – but be wary of spending too much additional cash. Perhaps there could be collections of these types which you could subscribe to, allowing you to play just with those type experiences.

Secondly we need to be aware of the fact that free gaming – of which there is much to choose from and is widely accessible – is likely to prevent many players for subscribing. They’ll be particular types of players, but that subset may well be thinking ‘ why pay anything when I can get plenty for free’. 

 

Summary 

Mobile gaming is not going anywhere for sure, and subscriptions – while having some drawbacks and maybe some risks to the industry attached – offer a number of strong benefits if handled well by the providers and developers.  By choosing a service wisely you’ll have the chance to get a value for money experience for a few dollars per week, access up to hundreds of games and in game items, with no ads and potentially other valuable stuff like game strategies, hints, and tips.